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Burning the candle at both ends, suffering
from information overload, and increasingly wistful for home life.
But also more independent, more at home
working with new technology, and placing greater emphasis on interpersonal
skills.
This is the picture of UK managers that
emerges from the fourth Quality of Life Report, produced by the UK
Institute of Management (IM) and the University of Manchester Institute for
Science and technology (UMIST).
A consistent finding in the
surveys since they started in 1997 is that UK managers work long hours.
64% of managers said that long hours was part of their organisation's
culture. This tendency is confirmed in the Toshiba/MORI
report on laptop use. (Mind you, I've yet to meet a manager who says
he/she works short hours!)
Here are some stark figures
from the report:
Working hours
Reasons for long hours
- 76% say the only time available to
think/plan
- 64% say it's part of the culture
- 55% say it's expected by their
employer
- 28% say it's something they enjoy doing [-
perhaps these are the ones with the laptops?]
Effects of Working Long Hours
- 79% say it leaves no time for other
interests
- 77% say it affects relationship with
children
- 72% say it affects relationship with
partner
- 65% say it damages their health
- 59% say it reduces their productivity
In sum these findings show
that managers feel they have to work long hours, and that it isn't doing
them or their families any good.
A longing for a better
work-life balance has become more evident in these surveys over the years.
In 1997 25% of managers saw home as more important than work: this has
risen each year and is now 32%.
Lower down the hierarchy this
opinion is more pronounced. 45% of junior managers and 42% of middle
managers now think work is less important than home. but these are
two-edged statistics. It could either mean that a more family-friendly
generation of managers is set to take over. Or it could mean that the
younger managers who are prepared to put work first are the ones who will
get to the top.
Getting to grips with
technology
54% of managers report that
they are suffering from "information overload", with many of
them claiming to be overwhelmed with a deluge of emails.
But this perception is
undoubtedly related to the finding that managers are increasingly using
technology themselves, rather than relying on others. 71% of managers now
use email; the vast majority use a PC and/or laptop.
The two findings together
might indicate that while managers are using technology more, they may
have something to learn about using it more effectively!
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